Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking
When a mother smokes during pregnancy, harmful chemicals like nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar reach the baby. These substances reduce oxygen supply and impede growth, leading to various health complications. Recognizing the potential health issues linked to prenatal smoking is crucial for providing effective support. Health risks associated with prenatal smoking Children exposed to smoking […]
Ask the expert: Drug and alcohol exposure
Jan Radford is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience working with children as a clinician, administrator, researcher and educator. She worked with substance-exposed infants and children for many years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In her recent “semi-retirement” she has […]
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a medical diagnosis given to a child who shows medical and behavioural signs of withdrawal from opiates such as heroin and methadone that are manifested between birth and 14 days of life. Causes Almost every drug passes from the mother’s blood stream through the placenta to the fetus. Illicit substances that […]
Ask the expert: Jan Radford
Jan Radford is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience working with children as a clinician, administrator, researcher and educator. She worked with substance-exposed infants and children for many years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In her recent “semi-retirement” she has […]
Q&A: What people ask us about adopting special needs children
Note: This Q&A was originally published in 2013, when terms like “special needs” were more commonly used. We recognize that language evolves, and we now typically use terms such as “support needs,” “complex needs,” or “disabilities.” We’ve kept the original wording to preserve the authors’ voices and experiences as they were shared at the time. […]
Tips for families considering NAS or alcohol-affected babies
Adapted from: Susan Edelstein, Children with Prenatal Alcohol and/or Other Drug Exposure: Weighing the Risks of Adoption. Washington, DC: CWLA Press, 1995. Source: The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (adoption research and studies).
Father’s fears quickly resolved after adoption
David Murphy of Abbotsford, is brimming with family pride. There’s him, his wife Nikki, two-year-old Cody, the dog and two cats. Children were always going to be part of the Murphy family—there was no doubt about it. David recalls that on their honeymoon Nikki talked about starting a family. “I wanted to wait a year […]
Adopting a special needs child: Our journey
About six years ago, we decided it was time to start building our family. When the old-fashioned way didn’t work for us, I began researching international adoption. The enormous costs, as well as the health problems many children face, were discouraging, so I spoke with our doctor about other options. He referred us to a […]
